Karen Grogan (SA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I'd like to thank Senator Paterson. I know there's a lot going on on the far side of this chamber and a lot going on behind the scenes as they try and work out who they are. But, while those opposite are fighting amongst themselves, focusing entirely upon themselves, on this side of the chamber, the Albanese Labor government is focusing on Australians. It's focusing on real, practical things that need to occur to make things better for people on the ground, who are doing it tough. We recognise that people are indeed under quite a lot of pressure, and we have done so ever since we were elected in 2022. But we are doing something about it.

We brought in tax cuts—tax cuts last year, tax cuts this year and tax cuts the year after that. We're slashing student debt, making it easier for our next generation to build themselves for the careers they need to give them the stability to build their future. We've made significant changes in the health space, with more urgent care clinics and cheaper medicine and better opportunities for people to be the healthiest they can be, to rely on Medicare when they need it, to be able to afford the medicines that they need and to be able to afford to see a doctor when they need to. These are the things that are genuinely making a difference to the hip pockets of every single Australian out there.

The MYEFO showed, just a couple of months ago, that the budget is now more than $233 billion better off than it was when we inherited it. Yet, from listening to those over there, you'd think that things had got worse. No, no—in terms of how we're doing economically and in terms of managing how things are going, we are doing much better. We've found more than $114 billion in savings. We have a serious policy, we have a serious plan, and we're rolling it out, while, all the time, every single thing we do in this chamber is a huge fight for those opposite and for those on the crossbench. Maybe it's just a vibe—fighting behind the scenes, fighting in their party rooms, fighting in the corridors and fighting in here. Maybe they don't know how to do it any other way. But over here we are focused on Australians. We are focused on making things better for people out there who are doing it tough. They had ten years—ten long years. When we came to government inflation was at 6.1 per cent and rising, and it is now lower. They left us with higher spending, no savings and bigger deficits. We are going about the process of fixing that. Year on year, budget on budget, we are making a difference.

We're not ignoring the housing problem; we're getting on with the job. I'd like to draw attention to the announcement on the weekend in South Australia, where we had the Albanese Labor government and the Malinauskas Labor government coming together to sign a historic deal that is going to make a fundamental difference to housing access in South Australia—$800 million. That money will not just build houses; it's going towards things like concessional loans so that we can build the water and sewerage infrastructure that we need to be able to expand our housing developments.

Over there, they say nothing's been built. Well, there were 373 houses in a decade under the opposition, as they stand now. I would say that we are beating that, hands down. We've had 10 years of ignoring housing and ignoring what the need is into the future to house our population and ensure the future of our young people. In South Australia, we will be seeing enormous development. With some of that housing being managed under this new deal that was signed on the weekend, people will be moving in as soon as 2027-28. We are making a fundamental difference. We are dealing with the things that matter to people on the ground. Those opposite wasted a decade and left us in an untenable situation in terms of the housing in this country.